Ghalib Lakhnavi

This is an extraordinary book for many western readers. It is a modern re-working of a 19th century Urdu version of an Islamic heroic epic. The English prose reminds one at times of Shakespeare, at other times of Homer, and yet at other times as something refreshingly new in its attempt to capture oral story-telling.
There are 900 closely-lined pages in four volumes between the covers (condensed from an original 40 volumes). The heroic epic narrates the life and deeds of Amir (Commander) Hamza, and his many enemies, companions, lovers, and relatives, both human and from the world of jinns. Hamza is an Arab, born in Mecca. The epic seems to revolve about the conversion of the Perso-Indian world to Islam through Hamza's exploits and character. However, the real delight of the book lies in its bombastic language, over-the-top descriptions, and rich imagination. The reader will "marvel to the limits of marveling," as the epic's scribe puts it. There are enough plot twists, humorous improbabilities, and weird characters to keep the reader absorbed, although toward the end the epic begins to run out of steam and coasts along on somewhat labored repetition.… (meer)